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Dec, 3U, 1.924. y G. s. WALKER AUTOMATIG WATERV4 RATER Original Filed Jlfn- 31,v 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- INVENTOFI.

. Q ID G. s. 'WALKER Dec. 30,1924. '1,521,139

ATOMATIC WATER HEATER Original Filed Jan. 31, 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 csi Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNI-TED .STATES hhlltl Pia'l'hllf GILBERT S. WALKER, OF PIL'TTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATC XKTAEER HEATER.

riginal application filed January 3l, 1917, Serial No. 145,802. Divided and this application filed September 15, 1922.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT S. l/VALKER, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county ot Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania (whose post-cnice address is care of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 9.9 lV, 39th Street, New York, N. Y.), have invented a new anc useful Improvement in Automatic Wvater Heaters, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to automatic water heaters, consisting in the combination, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed, (being a division of plie-ation 145,602 ltiled January 31, 1917).

The object of my invention is to provide a water heater whose automatic action' is dependent upon the joint action. ot two thermostats, with the intent oit eliminating the piston water valve which has heretofore been used.` Other objects and advantages will appear in the 'following specification. and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

`My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Fig. l is a horizontal section of the device (and is identical with Fig. -l ot application 145,602).

' Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the device on the line Q-Q ot Figi.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the valve.

chamber, the diaphragm being removed. Fig. et is a detail of the diaphragm.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the l valve chamber.

Fig. 6 is a view oi the valve chamber with the cover removed A heater casino' 6l encloses aV heating coil 62 heated by main burners 63. The top of the coil 62 is connected by a` riser 62 and re.- turn bend 62 to the auxiliary thermostat The 'riser is flexible and the hole through the heater casing for rod G9 large enough to permit the necessary movement of this end of the thermostat under the influence of temperature changrres. This thermostat is horizontally disposed and much of its length lisv within the heater caring.` At its right hand end there is a downward connection CWI to the cold water supply, system of the house. The main Serial No. 588,506.

thermostat B is also horizontally disposed and its right hand end is in communication at HW@ with the hot water pipe system ot' the house. At the 'free or lett end ot the main thermostat B there isa 'flexible pipe 7l passing through a large hole in the easingl and communicating with the the bottom of the coil 62. The auxiliary thermostat- A with the connections 62 at one end and. ClI at the other end, both extending downwardly, i'orms an inverted trap. The water that is warmed by the pilot or auxiliary burner P and which is therefore somewhat lighter, will be retained in this trap and in Contact with the auxiliary thermostat instead ot circulating away to other parts of the heat-er. Both thermostats are preferably ot thin copper tubing. it the left or tree end of the auxiliary thermostat A there is attached a blocl: 68 into which is. screwed a rod. G9 to transmit the movement oit the thermostat to the auxiliary lever 75 within thei-'alve casing or chamber 70. ln like manner the main thermostat B has attached to its lett. or tree end 71 a block to which a rod 72 is attached to transmit its movement to the main lever within the valve chamber 70. The right or fixed ends ot both thermostats are secured b v the pipe traine 6T to the valve casing TO. The trame (i7 is also the main gas pipe leading from the chamber 95 on the valve casing T() to the main burners the right hand end oi" this pipe being closed at 66 to prevent escape of gas.

The right hand end ot the pilot pipe P is attached to the end (36 oil the thermostat iframe, and its lett end extends into the valve chamber TO and is provided with a forked bearing f adapted to come into rontact with the imite edge 'T6 under certain conditionsexplained 'further on. rllhe fork is open so gas can pass from the chamber 70 to the pilot light P, air tor combustion being drawn in through a mixer M. It will be seen 'from Fig. 2 that tho pilot burner l. is disposed underneath the auxiliary thermostat A as to heat it.

' Referring now particularly to Fig. it will be seen that a flexible diaphragm D is provided to allow free movement ot thi'l rods without leakage ot The rod (if) has a bearing 73 on a knife edge 7l ot the auxiliary lever 75. The itulcrum of this lever isbat 'T6 and the ulcrum bearing FT ioo is on a screw stud carried bythe casing 70. The lever 75 extendsV downwardly and has at its lower end a knife edge 78. This presses against the upper Contact `point of an intermediate llever 79, thel lower contact rod 72 (see Fig. 6). It `will be noted that the lever 82 l'iulcrums on the knife edge E35 resting against' the bearing 86 attached by a screw stud to the wall ot the casing. lever 82 extends vdownwardly and has at its lower end al knife edge 8O pressing against the lower contact point 01"' the intermediate lever 79. A regulating screw 81 is carried i by the casing 70 and limits the movement of the lever 82. The centers of the contacts of Ithe three bearings on lever 7 5, -as well as the centers of the contacts of the three bearings on lever 82,1are in a straight line, although the line is' not parallel to the sides of the casing, and the body of the lever is bent to convenient shape.

The long arm of the intermediate lever 79 (see Figs. 5 and y6) extends horizontally to the left and the upper `side of its left end presses against the bottom of a rocking -knife edge .87, the upper edge of which presses against the under .side of a hori- `Zontally disposed gas valve lever 88. One

end ,of this lever 83 is pressed upon by an adjustable screw 89 and the kopposite. end y presses against the bottom ot' a valve stemy 90, which carries the main gas valve 91 at its upper end` (see Fig. 5). The valve is urgedaway from its seat by a weight 91X .on` the valve stem. This weight, acting` through the system of levers just described, keeps a strong force on the thermostat tubes.

A gas yinlet 92 (see Fig. 1), is connected to i the city gas main and conducts gas through the gas cock 93 to the small chamber .93 ony the lever casing 70. The. mainy valve 91 controls the flow oi gas from the chamber 93a` to the lever chamber 70. `A smallbypass ,93C` around this main gas valveis controlled by a cock 93b and supplies the small amount of gas required by the pilot burner On the top of the valvecasing 70 is a v delicately adjusted relief valve` 94: which permits excess pressure of gas in the lever chamber to go into the chamber 95, the latter communicating by means of a coupling `96 (see Fig. 1) with the pipe. 67 which forms the frame of the thermostats.v From here the gasis conducted through the T 977 and thence by the pipe 98 to the gas 99 that supplies the burners G3. v

The

tions.` The gas valve 91 `isadjusted by the screw 89 until it is closed. It now, for any reason, the [temperature of the auxiliary thermostat A .becomes 'slightly less, there `will be a slight movement of the levers opening'the main gas valve slightly and supplying' more vgas to the pilot. But this will not increase the gas pressure in the lever chamber 70 enough to vopen therelief valve 9e that controls the passage -to the ymain burners` lWhen water is drawn through theheater, the temperature ot' the auxiliary Itlienmostat A will be lowered so much by the incoming cold water that the leve-rs will move) far enough tofully open the mainy gas valve l91. The Vconsequent increaseot gas pressure in the lever' chamber 70 will `first cause the pilot light to lashup into a big llame yand willthen litt `the check valve 94, allowing gas to llovvv to `the-main burners Where it will 'be ignited by the enlarged` pilot flame' and the coilwill be heated. As lthe out-v iowing water becomes warmer the main thermostat B will expand'. This will at .firsthave` no effect on 'the main gaslvalve because the llowerloearing of the interi@ `screw Sllias :been slet, .the mainlever 82 will llit'tthe knife edgexSO` oli'l the ,screw .S1 and move. the !intermediatelever v79 and the `main valve 91- in the closing direction. `Contimied movement of .these pa'rts due `to higher Vtemperatures of the. outiiowing `hot water, :will close the :main Agas valve 91 partly or entirely and will rgulate the supply of gas to suittheam-ount of water being drawn andinsure itsfdelivery atnearly uniform temperature. y y

In winter, when the intlowing' waterV is cooler than in summer,the auxiliary ther-l mostat will contract more when water isV drawn, and the mainthermostat will therefore have to expand .more before it will shut ofi' the gas, resulting in the delivery o-:t' hotter water in winter and cooler water in summe-r. y

VVhe-n the How 'of water stops, the `auxiliary thermo-stat A will be heated directly by the main burners for the shorttime they Vmediate lever 79 hasbeen Lheld bythe-.screw lThen however,` the .temperatureotthe` l continue to burn; it will also be heated bycloseih and the'pilot-burne-r will supply sui"- ticient heatto keep it closed.

It the pilot should go out, the contraction of the pipeV P will operate the auxiliary lever 7 5 and close the main gas valve.

I claim:

l. In a Water heater, a gas burner, a gas Valve, a Water heating coil, thermostatc mea-ns through Which the Water passes to the inta-ke ot said coil for operating said gas valve in one direction, and independent thermostatic means at the outlet of said coil for operating said Valve in the opposite direction.

2. In a Water heater, a` gas burner, va gas valve, a. Water heating coil, a thermostat through which Water passes to the intake of said coil, means operated by said thermostat for operating the gas valve in one direction, a thermostat in the coil circuit at the outlet thereof, and means operated by said thermostat for operating said valve in the opposite direction.

. 3. In a. Water heater, a gas burner, a gas valve, a Water heating coil, thermostatic means at the intake of said coil for operating the gas valve in one direction, a. gas burner in close proximity to said thermostat for heating the same, and an independent thermostat at the outlet ot said coil for operating said valve in the opposite direction.

4. In an automatic Water heater, the combnation of a heating coil, a burner, a fuel supply for the burner, a thermostatic means adapted to regulate the fuel supply in accordance With the tempera-ture of t-he outiiowing hot Water, and an auxiliary thermostatic means for automatically bringing the burner into action when cooled.

In an automatic. Water heater, the combination of a Water heating coil, a burner for supplying heat thereto, a thermostat at the inlet to the coil, a burner 'for heating said thermostat, a thermostat at the outlet of the coil, and means operated by both `of said thermostats for controlling the supply ot fuel to the first mentioned burner.

6. In a Water heater, a Water heating coil, aburner to heat the coil, a fuel supply for the burner, a main thermostat adapted shut oit the fuel supply in response to heat, an auxiliary thermostat. adapted to respondto flow of cold Water into the coil from the Water supply and shut oft the fuel supply when such flow ceases, each thermostat acting independently of the other thermostat.

7. In an automatic water heater', a main burner, aI main thermostat, an auxiliary burner, and an auxiliary thermostat heated by the auxiliary burner, each thermostat being adapted to shut down the' main burner in f response to heat, the main thermostat being responsive to the temperature ot the Water heated by the main burner.

8. In an automat-io. Water heater, a coil conveying Water, a main burner to heat the co-il, a fuel supply for the main burner, a main thermostat and an auxiliary thermostatstat each adapted to reduce t-he fuel supply in response to heat, and an auxiliary burner adapted to Warm the auxiliary thermostat, this thermostat being also heated by the main burner, the` main thermostat being responsive to the heat oit the water heated by the main burner.

9. In an automatic Water heater, a main burner to heat the Water, an auxiliary burner, a main thermostat controlling t-he main burner, and an auxiliary thermostat responding to the temperature of Water hea-ted by both of the burners to shut ofi' the main burner when the fioW ot water stops.

GILBERT S. IVALIKER. lVitnesses CLARENCE A. IVILLIAMS, Cona I NAUGLn 

